International Music Festival 36
|withdraw = | col1 = #22b14c | tag1 = Participating countries | col2 = #d40000 | tag2 = Participants that failed to qualify to the final | col3 = #ffc20e | tag3 = Past participants that did not participate |vote = Each country awards two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting |null = |winner = "The Greatest" |pre = 35 |nex = 37 }} International Music Festival 36, often referred to as IMF 36, will be the thirty-sixth edition of the International Music Festival. The edition will be hosted in Bulgaria, after Christiana Loizu won with her song "Phoenix". Location Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Република България, tr. Republika Bǎlgariya, pronounced bɐɫˈɡarijɐ), is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country. Organised prehistoric cultures began developing on current Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history saw the presence of the Thracians, Greeks and Romans. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 AD, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State. The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both world wars. In 1946 it became a one-party socialist state as part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. In December 1989 the ruling Communist Party allowed multi-party elections, which subsequently led to Bulgaria's transition into a democracy and a market-based economy. Bulgaria's population of 7.4 million people is predominantly urbanised and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its 28 provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are centred on the capital and largest city, Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering, and agriculture, all of which rely on local natural resources. The country's current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991. Bulgaria is a unitary parliamentary republic with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralisation. It is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe; a founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); and has taken a seat at the UN Security Council three times. Bidding phase The first venues applying to host the contest were revealed on the 1st September 2016. On September 5, along with the official theme it was revealed that Sofia would host the competition in the Arena Armeec. Key }} Host venue Participating countries 54 countries have confirmed to take part in the edition. Denmark and Morocco are returning to the contest after a one-edition absence, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece are withdrawing from the contest. Returning artists Dominika Mirgová represented Slovakia in the twenty-fourth and thirty-third edition. Nini previously represented Georgia in the twenty-ninth edition. Magdalena Cvetkoska Ena took part for FYR Macedonia in the seventh, fourteenth and thirty-fifth editions. Jan Oliver already represnted Liechtenstein in the thirty-third edition. Kida was already taking part for Kosovo in the thirty-fifth edition. Sia represtened Australia in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth editions. Results Quarter-final Eight countries took part in this edition's quarter-final. On the 24th September 2016, Slovenia and Monaco were revealed as the two qualifiers, while Portugal, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Belarus, Austria and Hungary were eleminated. Semi-final 1 Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Australia, Norway and Spain also voted in this semi-final. Semi-final 2 Twenty-one countries participated in the second semi-final. Bulgaria, Germany and the United Kingdom also voted in this semi-final. Grand Final Voting grids Semi-final 1 12 points Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country in the final: Semi-final 2 12 points Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country in the final: Final 12 points Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points awarded by each country in the final: Incidents * : The Belarussian entry "Nad atlanticheskim" previously took part in the IMF Second Chance Contest, however was allowed to remain in the contest due to low publicity and organisation issues. * : Even though The Code ft. Jackie Vegas were originally chosen to represent Moldova with their song "Spaceship", it was announced by TVM on September 26 that Nicoleta Nucă would represent the country instead with her song "Amintiri". Other countries : Further information: List of countries in the International Music Festival Countries that are active members of the International Broadcasting Union (IBU) are also eligible to participate in the International Music Festival. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members have been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not. The following list of countries declined stating their reasons as shown below. Active IBU members * : On 31 July 2016, ORF announced that due to the "past unsuccessful attempts", Austria would wait till the first semi-final results are out before "likely" confirming participation. On 6 August 2016, it was confirmed that Austria would participate with a new selection format. * : On September 2 2016, ERT revealed that because of their bottom five position last edition, resulting in a quarter-final participation, ERT would withdraw from the 36th edition. * : On 31 July 2016, RAI announced that their participation is currently in doubt. However, they did not give any further reason. On the same day, RAI declared that this was an inofficial statement and therefor confirmed their presence at the contest. * : On 18 August 2016, LTV announced that they disagree with the qualifiers of the first semi-final and therefor announced their withdrawal from the contest. Howevever, on September 2 2016, LTV confirmed their presence at the contest. * : On 13 August 2016, TVR announced that due to a lack of financial budget the country would withdraw from the competiton. A return for the 37th edition was not ruled out. * : On 28 August 2016, RTVSLO revealed that their Head of Delegation has changed and therefor would also participate in the 36th edition. International broadcasts and voting Voting and spokespersons # Loïc Nottet # Matt Terry # Besa # Teo # Amandine Bourgeois # Esma Redžepova # Kate Pavli # Delta Goodrem # Bastian Baker # Agnieszka Włodarczyk # Marta Ritova # Alexander Vorobyov # Taryn Southern # Natahlie Saba # Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau # Anita Briem # Marco Mengoni # Sanja Vučić ZAA David Carreira Tove Lo Maja Keuc Max Barskih Irem Derici Tal Dua Lipa Medina Moran Atias Zaho Agnete Donny Montell Laila Abid Destiny Chukunyere Nicole Saba Pasha Parfeny Nicky Byrne Douwe Bob Iveta Mukuchyan Dilara Kazimova Celeste Buckingham Alvaro Soler Nina Sublatti Severina Vučković Claudia Schanza Emily Cox Anke Engelke Alexandra Stan Jüri Pootsmann Zhana Bergendorff Lenka Filipová Saara Aalto External links * Forum Category:IMF